Back in Black: The Hyped-Up Let Down

Flashing lights ricocheted about Grainger Auditorium’s walls as sweaty bodies pressed close to mine. Taking a deep breath, I grasped the hands of my fellow preps as I plunged deep into the unknown—also known as the mosh pit.

As a prep, attending Back in Black, my first Exeter dance, was both traumatic and exhilarating. I thought the dance was very well put together, but in my opinion, it was over-hyped and a bit of a letdown. Prior to attending, I heard from various students around campus that it was the best dance of the year, an absolute must. Unfortunately, I do not share the same opinion. Perhaps it was the poor choice of music, or maybe it was the thrashing mosh pit that dominated the dance floor, but even though I haven’t attended any other dances here at Exeter, I doubt that Back in Black will be known as this year’s best dance.

For the first hour of Back in Black, I saw a couple of students wandering around the back of Grainger Auditorium rather than actually dancing in the front. This was not only because of the overplayed songs from 2016 that the DJ lightly remixed, but also because of the invasive and sweat-filled crowd. Jammed together near the front of the stage, Exonians made mosh pit entries  feats of courage. Even though it is possible to have fun on the outskirts of the main group, it often felt that those who were on the outside were ostracized and left out. At some points, I did enter the mosh pit, but I was sorely disappointed by what I encountered.

Prior to attending, I heard from various students around campus that it was the best dance of the year, an absolute must. Unfortunately, I do not share the same opinion.

There was barely any dancing inside the crowd, unless you consider the jumping and shoving dancing. The relatively quiet music encouraged standing around rather than true dancing. All that I was left with after exiting the auditorium was a shirt soaked in sweat and a dull ringing in my ears. Back in Black was definitely not a dance to attend alone; without friends, it is difficult to weave into the crowd.        

Even with its flaws, Back in Black was a great way to start of the year. For many, including myself, it was a fantastic opportunity to solidify friendships and make new friends. Surprisingly, moshing was both the most stressful and most invigorating part of the dance. Initially, being your typical prep, I cowered in fear, as I was surrounded by seniors and PGs. In other words, I was merely trying to skirt the mosh pit without being trampled.

But as the dance continued, I realized that having friends came in quite handy. I locked hands with two of my friends, and we were swept into the tangle of thrashing sweaty bodies. The music got better, and this is when the mosh pit accumulated more students. With more bodies pressed together, I lost my friends at some points. Here I would dance with new groups and get Instagram accounts and Snapchat usernames while still getting hype to the music. With my heart pounding and a smile on my face, I knew that this was why so many people recommended that I attend Back in Black.

With my newly acquired friendships and memories, I will remember this year’s Back in Black as a mediocre dance. The intense mosh pit and friendship bonding made up for the poor choice in music and the sweat-slick room. But with a smile on my face, I applaud Dunbar for the good effort and can’t wait to see if the other Exeter dances can top it.